Disneyland Photo Report – January 27, 2014

We are still experiencing warmer than normal weather here at the Disneyland Resort, and spring time is already showing up! The trees around Central Plaza at Disneyland and Carthay Circle in Disney California Adventure are already beginning to bloom! This past weekend was a bit overcast, but still remained warm enough to encourage most guests to wear shorts. The annual NAMM music convention was also held this past weekend at the nearby Anaheim Convention Center resulting in local traffic jams and increased attendance at Disneyland.

The long list of planed attraction closures and refurbishments continues to be updated and juggled by Disneyland management, and changes are becoming a weekly occurrence. This past week Splash Mountain joined the list of closures which already include the lengthily Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage closures. There are currently three major “E-Ticket” attractions closed at Disneyland alone.

Sleeping Beauty Castle is back to normal. The last remaining holiday decorations have been removed.

Warm weather and the annual NAMM convention contributed to larger than normal crowds this past weekend

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad remains closed, and has been added to the official Disneyland calendar through early March!

The Sailing Ship Columbia remains under refurbishment

Splash Mountain has closed for a refurbishment. It is currently scheduled to reopen March 1, 2014

The Tiki Juice Bar, which services the popular Dole Whip, remains closed through February 6, 2014

“it’s a small world” has closed to remove the annual Holiday overlay. The classic attraction is scheduled to reopen on February 7, 2014

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

Aside from Disneyland management putting up more construction walls around the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, not much progress can be seen – at least from above.

The buoy and anamatronic seagulls have been removed, and it appears some of the underwater features may have been removed as well.

It has been suggested and rumored that the Submarines may be closing for good. I am personally anxious to see some work begin to take place as a reassurance that Disney does intend to reopen the attraction this Fall.

We’ll keep an eye on this each week.

Dirty, Dirty Space Mountain

The exterior condition of Space Mountain has been a issue for a while. I haven’t covered it much because it always seemed like it would just be an easy fix. However, recently it has become a very disgusting sight, one which is a direct contradiction to one of Walt Disney’s original goals of his theme park.

The surface of Space Mountain is, by no exaggeration, black in some spots. Even a nearby roof-top is black with grime and filth. The once shinny, clean, white buildings have become icons of neglect.

However, in Disney’s defense, the problem with cleaning Space Mountain and the nearby buildings is not as simple as it may seem. A few years back Disney was fined heavily for safety violations related to workers cleaning and maintaining the exterior of Space Mountain. A worker was injured when he fell due to inadequate fall protection. In fact, Disneyland has been pledged with problems since Cal OSHA and DOSH began surprise inspections. The tops of buildings are now littered with flags and safety rails, Alice in Wonderland is still covered in tarps and “temporary” railings and attractions such as Casey Jr Circus Train have received safety upgrades incase of evacuation.

Despite these modern day challenges facing Disneyland management, it seems little excuse for allowing a park which is known for impeccable cleanliness get to this point.

I’ll let the following photos speak for themselves …

Around the Resort

Some of the foliage around the Fantasyland Skyway Chalet has been trimmed back. This may be to facilitate the removal of the final remaining piece of the classic Disneyland attraction in the coming weeks. A few weeks back we shared a report which claimed Disneyland was preparing to remove the rotting structure.

Recent Disneyland Resort News Articles

Annual Passholders can attend a Sleeping Beauty Screening and Fantasyland After Hours Event on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. The event is in celebration of the 55th anniversary of Sleeping Beauty.

Movie screenings will be held at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Main Street Opera House.

The popular multi-cultural celebration is returning to California Adventure January 31 – February 2, 2104.

Each day from 11am – 5pm at Paradise Gardens, guests can watch Chinese dragon and lion dancers, and Vietnamese and Korean dancers perform. Mickey, Minnie, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Mulan, and Mushu will also make appearances.

D23 Members will have access to some great events across the country in 2014, including in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles and Walt Disney World.

Destination D: Attraction Rewind (July 26 – 27 at Walt Disney World), will give guests the opportunity to visit, or revisit, some of the most beloved Disney attractions of yesteryear. The event will bring Disney archivists, Imagineers, Legends and luminaries together to celebrate such attractions asAdventure Thru Inner Space, If You Had Wings, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with rarely seen concept art and images; vintage video clips; and revealing stories.